Shonisani Lethole’s death ‘tip of the iceberg’ – DA Gauteng

After a damning report found that the Tembisa Hospital had been negligent in administering care for Shonisani Lethole, a 34-year-old man, the Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng has warned that the situation might resemble an everyday reality in our public facilities.

The state of public hospitals and their ability (or lack thereof) to care for patients, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, is back under the spotlight. Leshole died days after being admitted to the hospital.

A report by the Health Ombudsman, Professor Malekgapuru Makgoba not only found that Leshole’s death could have been prevented, but that the facility itself should not have been a designated COVID-19 hospital. The man had undergone a coronavirus test but the result, which was positive, was only confirmed after he died.

Reacting to the explosive report, the DA in Gauteng’s Jack Bloom said the tragic events surrounding Shonisa Leshole’s death were merely a microcosm of the entire public health system.

“The sad reality is that most public hospitals in Gauteng are poorly prepared to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic because of years of mismanagement, under-staffing and lack of equipment,” Bloom said.

“I suspect that Mr Lethole’s case is the tip of the ice-berg of many more cases of sub-standard care in our hospitals that has increased the mortality from COVID-19”

The Democratic Alliance’s (DA) Jack Bloom

Bloom further said that he himself had questioned whether Tembisa Hospital was suitable to treat COVID-19 patients, as it was not adequately equipped.

Makgoba said the hospital was not fit for purpose, had defective infrastructure and was understaffed. He also found that the staff lacked the necessary experience and high-quality skills to care for critically ill patients.

He also found that the man had been starved and hadn’t eaten for more than 100 hours.

“These problems were well-known at the time when I questioned why Tembisa Hospital had been designated for COVID-19 patients,” he said.

Will there be accountability in Shonisani Lethole’s death?

In addition to his scathing findings against the hospital, Makgoba also concluded that the healthcare staff who attended to Leshole had displayed gross misconduct and that they must be brought to book.

Whether they will face consequences for their roles in the saga – be it in the form of disciplinary action or criminal charges, remains to be seen.

The DA in Gauteng agrees that Shonisani Leshole’s death should not go unpunished.

“There needs to be accountability for what has been uncovered in Makgoba’s excellent report, but it should also serve as a wake-up call that there are longstanding problems in our public hospitals that need to be fixed urgently to ensure a decent health service,” Bloom said.